B- Urban youth drama Written and directed by Catalina Arroyave Doing the right thing can be dangerous in Medellín, Colombia's second-largest city, even if the war is initially battled with paint. Days of the Whale (original title: Los días de la ballena) isn't quite exciting enough to be called a thriller - even though it … Continue reading Activists vs gangs in Days of the Whale
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Frozen, Spite Marriage, & Rancho Notorious
Did you sign up for Disney+ to watch Hamilton? I did and I loved it. I'd seen the play live a few months ago, but I liked it much better on the screen, where I could watch the facial expressions and read the closed captions. The question is: Will I continue with Disney+. Anyway, here … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Frozen, Spite Marriage, & Rancho Notorious
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: July 17 – 23
Jim Jarmusch directs a jailbreak. Ai Weiwei makes art for prisoners of conscience. And Pauline Kael makes sense of it all. Also Jewish and Black film festivals. Virtual Festivals Cinegogue Summer Days continues through Sunday. Read my preview. The San Francisco Black Film Festival continues through August 2 Bay Area theaters with virtual cinema Balboa … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: July 17 – 23
1928: The peak and the fall
I don't believe in golden ages and "great film years." Every year since the beginning of cinema has had good and bad films. But there's something special about 1928. At least in America, it was the artistic pinnacle of silent film. And yet it was also the year where silence began to die. Movies kept … Continue reading 1928: The peak and the fall
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema and Drive-ins: July 10 – 16
We still can't go to a regular, Bay Area movie theater, but we've got three virtual film festivals, a lot of drive-in action - including Black Panther, Black Spider-Man, and a very white Indiana Jones. Also, three relatively new movies streaming through your favorite theaters. Virtual Festivals The San Francisco Frozen Film Festival opened last … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema and Drive-ins: July 10 – 16
Drive-in Memories
I never thought that drive-in movie theaters would come back. I haven't been to one of them (aside from flea markets) in almost 50 years. And yet, here they are again, thanks to that changer of all things, COVID-19. For various reasons, I haven't yet visited my nearest Drive-in, the Solano, in Concord. I hope … Continue reading Drive-in Memories
Movies I’ve recently seen: Billy Liar, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, & Blithe Spirit
Here are three films, all comedies (to a certain extent), that didn't play in a recent film festival, nor are they coming up soon. None of them are new and their distributors didn't ask me to review them. I just watched them for my own enjoyment. A Billy Liar (1963), Kanopy This is how a … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: Billy Liar, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, & Blithe Spirit
Cinegogue Summer Days: The pandemic version of the SF Jewish Film Festival
If this were a normal year, I'd be writing about an 18-day San Francisco Jewish Film Festival taking place in five theaters around the Bay Area. Instead, thanks to the pandemic, I'm writing about a four-day festival that will run mostly in our own homes. I say mostly because opening night will take place at … Continue reading Cinegogue Summer Days: The pandemic version of the SF Jewish Film Festival
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema & Drive-ins: July 3 – 9
The hardtop theaters in the Bay Area are still closed, but the drive-ins are open (I didn't even realize they still existed). But at home you can see freedom fighters Ai Weiwei, John Lewis, and Mad Max, along with Catherine Deneuve and Ethan Hawke playing actors. We've also got polar bears and dinosaurs. Bay Area … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema & Drive-ins: July 3 – 9
The Truth isn’t always what you want
B- Family drama Written by Hirokazu Koreeda from a story by Ken Liu Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda Let's face it. We all know what families are about. Even the best of them involve fights, misunderstandings, secrets that occasionally bubble up, and are all held together with genuine love. That makes family dramas tricky. If one … Continue reading The Truth isn’t always what you want
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